Hot Water
by Pathfinder
Summary: Cye and Ryo are in love and trying to keep it secret. If it’s so secret then how did everyone else find out? Will their friends stand by them or will the Ronin Warriors become nothing but a memory?
1. Chapter One: How it Started

Chapter One: How it started

(Ryo)

It wasn't planed for either of us to actually start dating each other. Both Cye and I were gay, and right from the off we both knew it. Each time we faced and beat a new challenge or surpassed obstacle, we started falling for one another. It wasn't obvious at first, but after a while I started blushing whenever our eyes met.

I still smile every time I recall catching his eye during a battle; seeing that determined look in his eyes making me fight more to prove my worth in them. I sighed as I sat down on the park bench taking in the warm summer's breeze. I watched Sage, Kento, and Cye playing Frisbee, while Rowen read his book under a tree.

The guys were yet another reason Cye and I had had to keep our relationship a secret. We weren't sure how they'd react, as most teenage boys are truly, for lack of a better word, homophobic. However, Sage busted us along the way in our path of secrecy.

Cye and I had walked into the theater and into the back row were we thought we wouldn't be seen. The cinema is a good place for us to be with each other; it's dark enough so no one and us can tell if we're cuddling in the back or if we're even there.

Things were a lot tougher then; hiding was our main goal. We live in a very tight community and couldn't risk being seen by anyone at school. The lights were still on, but since the previews had started playing I thought it would be fine if I kissed him on the cheek; I was terribly wrong. As I lent over I felt someone eyes upon me, stopping I looked up meeting Sage's gaze.

It had felt like a whole bucket of ice had dropped into the pit of my stomach. Ever nerve in me started shaking my eyes not looking away from his. Neither one of us knew what to say. And I couldn't tell what he was thinking by the expression on his face. I straitened back up in my seat as he knelt down in a seat in front of us. "So." He had said. The tone in his voice wasn't mean or disgusted; more of a questioning was in it.

I could feel Cye's fear to match my own, I could hear his breaths as they went into a panicked rhythm and I could even hear my own heart beat echoing in my ears as I felt my face flush red.

"You guys shouldn't keep secrets from us, we're a team, you can count on us to back you up." He had said in a low whisper so he wouldn't be heard by anyone around us. Funny thing, we thought this movie would be a flop and that now one else would be there; leave it to Sage to want to see the boring movies.

I swallowed hard ready to speak, "we, we were afraid, that maybe you guys wouldn't accept this and that, you'd like banish us from the team or something." I had forced myself to admit. Being the some what leader of the group didn't make a difference, you can't lead a group that won't follow.

He only shook his head, "after all the stuff we've been through?" He smiled at us, "Never."

I sighed, again recalling every detail in my mind. I opened my eyes in time to see Rowen get beamed in the forehead with the Frisbee. I laughed as my three friends ran from him as if he was some kind of monster in a bad dream, but then again, they were laughing the whole time too.

When we told the others, we did it very carefully, we knew we had Sage on our side, but would the others side with us as well?

We sat them in the living room of the Koji manner, Mia herself included, however we felt that Yuli was too young to be in on our secret just yet. This was a very delicate situation, so we decided that just coming right out with it would be best.

"Guys, we're… gay." I had said before closing my eyes feeling myself blush.

The silence that took place after lasted a few minutes before one of them cleared their throat; I don't remember who did it. The silence was deafening, and it pained me, but I knew they had to make up their own minds about this. I wouldn't force them to accept us, and I knew they needed time to think this through. After what had seemed like an eternity, Rowen spoke up.

"Anything that's cool with you two is cool with me." He had said looking up at us from his moment of thought.

"Same here." Mia had smiled brightly; one good thing about her knowing was that she stopped hitting on me.

Kento had looked up at us grinning, "Hey what can I say, I'd be insulting mylittlebrother Yun if I didn't except you two."

I smiled at them and looked at Cye who had been smiling at me. This was what we had hoped for; their support was important to us.

Seeming very winded Cye took a seat next to me on the bench leaning backwards taking in deep breaths.

"You're getting out of shape Cye; you used to be able to keep up with them." I teased. "I think maybe even Yuli could beat you up now."

"Ha, ha, very funny." He said punching my right arm softly, well as softly as the Ronin of Torrent hits anyways.

I chuckled lightly, and when he got up to save Sage from Rowen's headlock I rubbed my arm wincing. Perhaps my comment offended him in someway or I'm just a baby when it comes to taking a punch out of armor.

I saw some of the girls from my history class walk past a few of them winking at me, I merely smiled back. Both Cye and myself were experts of deception. We had to be in such an unforgiving and un-excepting world. One slip up and it would all be over, ridicule wasn't the most of our worries, the world was cruel to people like us, especially in our neighborhood and school systems. Teenagers in our area would gang up on us, vandalize our stuff, and beat up anyone who stood with us, non-of it stopping until we were driven out of town. We couldn't let that happen, because it wouldn't just affect us, the Ronin Warriors would either break up, or all of us would have to leave.

"Hi Ryo," my friend Cleo waved to me, she was on the swim team with Cye as well as in my algebra and history classes. She was such a good swimmer in fact that she took first at the regional championships, Cye taking second prize to her by a half a second. Her caramel colored skin tone went well with her deep brown eyes and waist-length black hair. And her small physique was perfectly suited for moving through the water.

"Hi." I said waving back to her as she and a group of the girls she was with went by. With my attention on them I didn't notice the flat, green circular object spinning through the air, I did however notice it when it smacked me in the back of the head. I grabbed the back of my head leaning forward, seeing Sage's Frisbee on the ground beside my foot. Looking over I saw that the one who had thrown it was indeed Sage. Thoughts of the past left my mind as I chased after my friend, my new goal being to give him the mother of all noogies, and mess up that perfect hair of his.


	2. Chapter Two: Truth or Dare

Hot Water

Pathfinder

Chapter Two: Truth or Dare

(Cye)

My comrades and I sat in a circle to play the "game of doom" the world knows as truth or dare. It would be Sage's turn first; he eyed me making me rather nervous.

Is he going to start with me? I thought.

"Cye, truth or dare?" He asked answering my question.

Knowing he had something planed to make me turn at least three shades of red, I had to be careful. "Truth."

Sage grinned signifying that truth was what he had wanted me to pick. "What was the most embarrassing moment of your life?"

First shade of red, "well, when I was in Britain, for the exchange program, I attended a private boys and girls school, I had just gotten my armor and had had to put it on that morning, as some tin heads had come looking for me. I hadn't dress that morning and under my sub-armor it was a pair of black boxers with red lips on them," Second shade of red, "I was outside the school when I realized I was still wearing my sub-armor, so I dismissed it not noticing what I was wearing. I had walked up the stairs before I noticed a slight breeze and about a hundred and fifty of my class mates laughing at me." My friends all laughed at me as I felt my face turn the last indefinite shade of red.

"Okay Cye, it's your turn." Sage said now tearing from laughing so hard.

Hmm, should I seek my vengeance on him? I thought, What would be the truth or dare I should do, I could make Sage embarrass himself, but that would give him free range on me right after, and he was second best at this game... No, I had to pick some one who would be easy to embarrass and came up with both sucky truths and dares. Some one like…

"Ryo, truth or dare?"

My love looked up at me curiously as he thought over which one to pick. On the one hand truth could make him confess anything, on the other hand, dare could make him do something, or it could also bring about a confession pending on which way you played it. Eyeing me once more he made his choice. "Dare."

My friends make "ooh" sounds around me as they all knew I was the "master" of the game. I rubbed my hands together thinking of the wonderful things that I could do to him; the total control of it all was very intriguing. While I thought about the things I could make Ryo do, the others waited with the tension of a frat house pledge-boy waiting to find out who gets to sin first.

I thought a moment more, then, "it" hit me. I grinned. "You're done for." I said being rather cocky.

"Oh am I?" He said trying to not sound slightly nervous.

"Yep, I dare you to strip down to you're underwear, paint yourself bright pink, and run down the coast out front into Cleo's yard while singing "I'm a little tea pot" and like I said earlier, your done for."

He paled, taking in short half breaths while our friends began laughing around us, Kento running off to get what was left of the can of paint Mia had use to paint her bed room.

"Y, you… must be…" He started.

"Kidding? No, you know I play this game for keeps." I said.

He nodded faintly. "Okay then, I'll do it..." He said, sounding rather unsure of himself if you asked me.

After striping down to a white pair of briefs, and being painted the most flattering shade of pink, we all went out side and sat on the porch to watch him. The sun was setting and the paint made him blend in to the skies just perfectly.

Ryo gave one last desperate look to us, whimpered and started running down the beach singing; all of us, roaring with laughter.

Cleo stepped out on to her deck just in time to see the "pink blurr" streak by on his way back. She stood there a moment, in her light blue tang top and dark blue shorts, wondering what the hell it was she had just seen. I laughed as she threw her hands up in the air and went back inside.

I only wish I could have been closer to see the look on her face.

Ryo came back to the house, half out of breath from singing and running. "You," he said looking up at me, "are so dead!"

"Oh sh-" I didn't manage to finish that word. I jumped off the porch as I realized, the pink paint on him, was still wet, and nothing was I about to turn me pink! I booked it for the water and dove in clothing and all.

Under there was where I was safe. Ryo's element being fire, he could not follow very far. I remember all too clearly the last time him and I were in the water, it was right after I had been sent to the torrents where my armor had been powered. It was under that water, when I first realized I had fallen in love with him. I felt my sub armor fit me as I lost myself in the memories...

'I was sleeping, well, sort of sleeping, in a state of meditation... then I felt it, and my kanji lit up... he's in trouble... my leader... I thought... how can I save him?

Faith... that was it, I must have faith, in myself and in my friends. I had felt a strong force near me as my eyes flashed open. I knew there was trouble instantly and called my powers forcing away the evil. Then I had seen him, Ryo laying unconscious on the sea floor.

"Ryo..." I had looked at him, "oh...hold on mate." I had carried him and jumped out of the water on to the bridge above. I had looked at him and then it hit me... I love you Ryo of the Wildfire.

"RYO!" Yuli was coming over to see what had happened.

During my fight with Sehkment I had the worst time trying to focus. I kept gazing backwards to see if Ryo was alright; that had cost me the fight. I was down for the moment and just as Sehkment was about to get me, Ryo had stepped in and then we fought together, as one.'

I looked around me, I was still under water and the sun was now down. I came up and took a deep breath. I was well far out in the sea and now I was...

"No, don't even think that..." I told myself nervously, "I don't get lost..."

Then again, there was that trip to America for a celebration called Mardi Gras, and we were about four hours late. Then there was the trip to... Hey! Why am I thinking about these things? That's Ryo's job! Then again, it was Kento who gave Ryo the map in the first place.

I looked up to the cloudy sky above me, it was starting to rain and I was getting worried. Well, it could be worse, it could be a- I stopped hearing thunder. My heart raced and I started swimming to ANY shore as long as I wasn't in the water during the larger part of the storm. My element being water, getting hit would be the worst thing that could happen to me.

I decided that it would be safer if I was in big armor. "Armor of the Torrent, Dao SHIN!" I felt my armor fit around me as and my mask come down so I could travel faster under water.

I was moving very fast through the water when it hit. I closed my eyes; my body tensing. I saw an explosion of blue and white in my mind as I touched the shore. My mind swam as every thing went black.

Images flashed around me. I saw what looked like a white shadow moving towards me. I tried to remember the face, Kazuo?

I saw the familiar face of my former lover smile at me. I could hear a voice calling me from what sounded like miles away. I felt tears run down my cheeks as Kazuo started vanishing.

"No... Kazuo... come back..."

"Cye?" I felt hands on my shoulders "Please, speak to me."

My eyes rolled open and I gazed around panicking; trying desperately to sit up; the arms on my shoulders trying to hold me down.

"Cye? Calm down." The voice said to me.

Things around me started making a little more sense. I looked at the hand on my shoulder, and followed the arm up to the face. "Ry, ry. . ."

"Shhh. save your strength." Ryo said to me.

I put my arms around him and he held me close. "wha," My voice felt like I hadn't spoken in a week, almost like I had forgotten to speak. I coughed and cleared my throat trying to get it back. "What 'appened?" I spoke in a broken voice.

"You were struck by lightning love." Ryo touched my face and looked into my eyes. "You should rest; I want you to get better."

"I'm fine." I said in my screwed up, sick sounding voice. I stared into his beautiful blue eyes; I lent into him and kissed his lips softly.

I stared at him, he was blushing lightly, and he shook his head. "You could kiss me a hundred times, and I still wouldn't let you get out of bed until you're healed." Ryo opened his eyes to stare into mine again.

_Damn, I thought it would work_ . . .

Well, guys you wanted the next part and here it is!

Well, let's see what you guys said about the first part.

To mo, thank you for thinking its cute, can't do much about the echoing in your head though. I'm not sure if there is going to be a sequal to this yet, let me finish this story first, one step at a time.

To Robyin Gurl, Thank you for reading my story after your lack of reading fanfiction for a while. Hope you keep reading.

To Maria Stars, I'll be sure to keep up the good work.

To the LoverOfSilverHairedBishies, Thank you for thinking it was realistic and fitting to the characters. I tried to make it believible.

To Duran of Folsena, you wanted more and here it is. - Enjoy it.

And to Wildefyre, yes it is a shame that gay couples have to hide and sneak around. And I hope it does open some eyes, I'm sure the ending of the story will be a REAL eye opener-eh, if I ever get around to writing it. I'm a Sage/Rowen fan to, but I also like Sage/Kento thanks to Bender. Like I said before, I don't know if I'm writing a sequal, let me finish this one first.

To all of you, Thanks for reading!


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